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Queen (Band)
The history of Queen is a long and interesting one, but for the purpose of this "simplified" Queen wiki, we'll stick to the basics. Sources of Information/Important Websites: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(band)#1968%E2%80%931974:_Early_era ** The Wikipedia page for the band Queen * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smile_(band) ** The Wikipedia page for the band Smile * http://www.queenonline.com/ ** The official Queen website Pre-Queen Before Queen was formed, drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May were involved with a band called Smile, the definitive predecessor to Queen. Smile was formed by May and bass player and lead singer, Tim Staffell. Taylor joined later after seeing an ad for Smile, asking for a "Ginger Baker type" drummer. The band would play gigs around London. Farrokh Bulsara (later known as Freddie Mercury) became a large fan of them after being introduced to them by Staffell as they went to the same college, Ealing Art College. In 1970, Staffell left the band to join Humpy Bong, and Smile disbanded. Bulsara convinced Taylor and May to continue together, and thus Queen was formed. By this time, Bulsara had already changed his name to Freddie Mercury. There were numerous bassists in Queen's lineup, but all were let go because they didn't work with the chemistry of the other members until they found John Deacon, and they began recording their first album. Queen In 1973, Queen signed a deal with Trident Studios and released their first album by the end of July, which was self-titled. The album was well-received but did poorly mainstream-wise. Because of this, Queen switched over to making more radio-friendly music and had an angry split from Trident. They hired Elton John's manager, John Reid, to manage them. In late 1975, recording for A Night at the Opera, Queen's most famous and arguably best album. On the album is Queen's most successful single, "Bohemian Rhapsody," and is the third best-selling commercial single in Britain, and has been voted the best song of all time in three different polls. In 1980, Queen began the new decade by releasing The Game, the album that featured "Another One Bites the Dust," the hit song written by Deacon. Queen also composed and released the soundtrack for the film Flash Gordon. In 1982, Hot Space was released, much to May and Taylor's dismay over the pop-like sound of the album. During this point, the band was going through a rocky time in terms of relationships, as May and Taylor both disliked Mercury's personal manager, Paul Prenter, for being so dismissive of the importance of radio and fan interaction. Four years later, Queen played in South America during apartheid and the boycott of South America by the United Nations. Queen were fined and blacklisted by UN. At Live Aid, Queen played their greatest hits in front of an audience of 1.9 billion and had been said to have stole the show by many musical journalists and even the organizers of the event, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. In the summer of 1986, Queen went on their final tour with Mercury for A Kind of Magic. Fans began to notice Mercury's gaunt appearance, and the media began to report that Mercury was seriously ill. AIDS was brought up as a source of Mercury's problem, but Mercury denied this, despite having being diagnosed in 1987. Despite his sickness, Mercury continued on working with the band on the last two albums. On those two albums, all the songs were credited directly to Queen, instead of any particular member. In February, Mercury made his last public appearance before his death to receive the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music alongside Deacon, May, and Taylor. On November 23rd, 1991, Mercury confirmed in a prepared statement that he had been diagnosed with AIDS. Mercury died not even 24 hours later with pneumonia caused by AIDS. His funeral was private due to the Zoroastrian faith of his family. "Bohemian Rhapsody" was re-released and topped the chart for five weeks. The proceeds from the single were donated to Terrence Higgins Trust, an AIDS charity. Post-Mercury's Death On April 20th, 1992, the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert was held in Wembley Stadium. Various artists preformed Queen's hits, alongside with the three original members. The concert is considered "the largest rock star benefit concert" by Guinness. Money raised from the concert was donated to multiple AIDS charities. In 1995, four years after Mercury's death, the last Queen album, Made in Heaven, was released. On November 25, 1996, a statue of Mercury was unveiled in Montreux looking over Lake Geneva. Queen recorded a single titled "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)," a song dedicated to Mercury. In 1997, Queen performed it's last concert with John Deacon, who chose to retire. May and Taylor continued to play at the urge of Elton John, and continue to go on tours to this very day, one coming up very soon for the release of the biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody.